How’s that for a ‘Food is your best medicine’ tip? Can ya dig it?
In my final post nasal drip stage…. I can tell you that when I eat radishes, I don’t cough.
Maybe it’s just me? But I don’t think so…
This is an area I have been studying for decades. Go back into my blogs. I mean, it’s no accident that there’s a category called Health Benefits of Food. I always wonder, how can I use my food to keep me healthy?
ME TOO CHEF! I THINK ABOUT THAT TOO!
So let’s sing it: You are not alone…. I am here with you… lol
No really. I’m happy to hear you say that…. or even think that! And stupid little things like: You need Vitamin D to help you process Calcium. Now who is even thinking that? And who is making that simple for you, by saying ‘throw some red peppers (Vitamin D) in with your spinach salad (Calcium)?
Why? Why do they have to make it any more complicated than that?
And why didn’t someone tell me sooner to make little dough balls out of nut butter, dark chocolate and vanilla, as a healthy snack? lol And you know how to make nut butter, right ? You don’t need to keep a jar on hand, and can make it fresh every time? It’s a ‘no brainer’. Tahini, cashews and sunflower seeds into the food processor. Now, I’m sure you can experiment and add lemon, or other flavoring you like. But what I want to try is blending in the vanilla and dark chocolate. Or even some french coconut creamer in place of the vanilla. That’s a quick buzz to a quick treat! And just in time for Valentine’s Day!
Did I mention I found healthy treats (of course I did. I put them there) to send for Valentine’s Day on Candygram.com? Dried fruit, gluten free cookies, organic dark chocolate, coconut oil, spices. Oh yeah…. Candygram.com and is starting to take a healthier path, in addition to all that decadent chocolate! I recommend that!
Getting back to food being your medicine…. Go online and look up “No Bake Energy Bars”. Combo’s like instant oats, dried tart cherries, peanut butter, honey, vanilla… these are all great combinations for healthy snacking. Go organic! You’ll get way more flavor. Let’s see healthier, more flavorful on one side of the scale – cheap and fast on the other. I think I’ll go for healthier and more flavorful!
And how about all the new oils we’ve been seeing on the market? Well, you and I both know that peppermint tea for example, soothes the stomach.
I DIDN’T KNOW THAT CHEF!
Oh yeeah! Peppermint in it’s purest form is great for soothing that tummy ache. So peppermint oil is a good product too. Avocado oil? We all know that avocado’s… let me correct that, I know that avocado’s are healthy fat…. and we should really target a half an avocado a day… but the oil? Another great health aid. The latest ‘craze’ is hemp oil. I even heard Dr. Oz talking about it, saying it reverses hardening of the arteries.
WOW! CHEF! THAT’S COOL!
That’s exactly what I’m thinkin’. Food is my best medicine!
Did you know that cranberries help you remember? Of course, smoking pot then munching on cranberries… not so much. But you can be eating cranberries, making cranberry sauce with coconut sugar and add that as a healthy side to your dinners….
My daughter ‘the vegan’ turned mostly raw eater (lol) has been making this great dish with kelp noodles. Many people are saying that kelp noodles are a healthier substitute for wheat or white wheat filled pasta. But there are some saying just the opposite – that the kelp noodles aren’t really raw, because they’re processed.
Eat it? Don’t eat it? Once in a while, it’s all good. Actually, I had dinner with my daughter and ‘soon to be’ son-in-law the other night. And he made spaghetti out of zucchini. My ‘vegan gone raw’ kids are really crankin’ it out! And I’m here to tell you….. it was good!
Now the one thing he could have done is cut shorter strips…. cause it can get seriously messy. And that was actually what his comment was about the food. But I think with the raw heirloom tomatoes, garlic and all the other things he put into his raw sauce, it was so good, I would have liked bread (which I am currently not eating) to sop it up. Yum!
I think the benefits of eating raw, even now and again are clear: if your body isn’t busy trying to process food, it has energy for other things… like living! lol
And when you cook things like vegetables, a lot of the nutrients go out of the veg and into the water. That’s why if I par boil broccoli I will use that same water in the rest of my dishes.
Getting back to healthy deserts… cause it’s always something we come back to… right? Get this. Looks good? A chocolatey delight?
THAT was my daughter who put that raw dessert into a champagne glass! lol
Ya see, in my enthusiasm for raw, I brought with me cacao nibs. I bit into one and said yech! Flavorless Chalk! So she took them and used them for topping on a cocoa powder, soy milk or was it almond? banana, vanilla raw dessert. And again, I have to say… It was gooood. You need to add chocolate to make them have their slight flavor. And I have to say… they’re really good for ya.
As you can well see, I can go on and on about eating things that are good for you. And I would except for the fact of being on the tail end of this flu, I’ve gotta rest!
Let’s see if I can get going again in a day or two and tell you more about what I know.
Or… if you can’t wait? Google it. Then send me an email and tell me what you know… and I’ll make you a guest blogger!
Happy Eating,
Chef Marian